Hamas officials want the Kremlin to pressure the Palestinian Authority to negotiate with it over a future national unity government in the Gaza Strip.

The request is likely in response to a proposal for postwar governance in Gaza where a new Palestinian Authority led by an independent prime minister would administer the enclave, according to America’s Institute for the Study of War think tank.

That proposal would exclude Hamas from any meaningful role in the postwar Gaza Strip. On Oct. 23, Mousa Abu Marzouk, a member of its political bureau, met in Moscow with Deputy Russian Foreign Minister Mikhail Bogdanov to press its claim.

“Negotiating a national unity government with the (Palestinian Authority), on the other hand, would allow Hamas to retain a role in postwar governance,” the ISW said Thursday in its latest analysis of the conflict. “Hamas would likely exploit the establishment of a national unity government to gradually expand its control and influence in the Gaza Strip.”

As it seeks a greater role in Gaza, the Palestinian Authority has been struggling to crack down on Iranian-backed militia groups in its own territory. In recent weeks, the PA has sent forces to the West Bank town of Tubas to push back against groups like Hamas and Palestinian Islamic Jihad. 

“Residents have reported violent clashes between (Palestinian Authority) forces and militias there,” the ISW said. “Palestinian militias, including Hamas and (Palestinian Islamic Jihad), have accused the PA of serving Israeli interests and called on militants to confront the PA forces in Tubas.”

The Palestinian Authority’s combat operations in Tubas came as Israeli forces in August and September launched their own campaign to degrade Palestinian militia groups across the West Bank, the ISW said.